Insights from the 2026 Citizens Private Equity CFO Conference hosted by Citizens Private Bank

This year's Citizens Private Bank CFO Conference brought private equity and venture capital finance leaders together at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego for three days of technical programming, peer exchange and relationship building.

The conference welcomed a cross-section of private markets leaders, including CFOs, COOs, operating executives, attorneys, tax specialists and industry experts, for conversations that reflected the expanding scope of finance leadership in private markets.

The strongest conversations continued outside the conference room, whether in the dedicated hospitality suite where attendees kept conversations going between events or over dinners in iconic San Diego settings. Those moments gave CFOs and COOs space to compare how other firms are working through similar operational, financial and leadership questions.

Landon Donovan, one of the most accomplished players in U.S. soccer history, gave the program a memorable close with a keynote fireside discussion that brought the conference's leadership themes to life through stories about performance at the highest level.

With this combination of practical content, candid peer conversations and distinctive experiences, the CFO Conference remains one of the events we most look forward to every year. Below are some of the key themes from this year's conference.

Private equity market context

Despite improving sentiment around transaction activity, many of the headwinds that have impacted private markets over the past several years remain in place. Liquidity continues to require active management. Technology is advancing faster than many organizations can fully operationalize. Regulatory expectations continue to evolve.

CFOs increasingly find themselves at the center of these conversations, balancing opportunity, risk and execution across the firm.

AI moves from experimentation to implementation

Rather than speculation about the promise of artificial intelligence, discussions focused on practical adoption. Participants shared examples of how AI is already being applied across research, reporting, workflow automation and operational processes. Attention has begun shifting from identifying use cases toward establishing governance frameworks, managing security considerations and determining how firms can responsibly incorporate AI into day-to-day decision-making.

As employees gain greater ability to access information, generate analysis and build tools independently, firms are evaluating how to maintain consistency, protect sensitive information and establish appropriate controls. An in-depth look at the panel discussions on AI can be found here.

Liquidity management and credit solutions become more sophisticated

Liquidity management and credit solutions emerged as consistent themes throughout the conference. Continuation vehicles, NAV financing, subscription facilities and other financing tools featured prominently across discussions involving fund finance, legal considerations and investor communications.

The discussions also underscored the importance of matching the right lender relationship to the right circumstances. As financing needs become more specialized, trust, responsiveness and certainty of execution have become central considerations for firms evaluating which credit solutions can support a particular fund, transaction or portfolio need.

For CFOs, these conversations reinforced the growing responsibility to evaluate the practical benefits, investor communication requirements and execution risks associated with more sophisticated liquidity and credit structures.

A more detailed look at how liquidity solutions are evolving can be found here.

Complexity is creating greater demand for judgment

Tax, structuring and regulatory discussions highlighted a similar trend. Topics ranged from earnouts and stock-for-stock transactions to cross-border withholding, FIRPTA considerations, UBTI planning, QSBS questions, evolving SEC expectations and emerging state-level proposals.

While the technical details differed, many conversations arrived at the same conclusion: early analysis matters. The ability to identify downstream implications before decisions are made often determines whether firms preserve flexibility or create unintended complexity later.

As a result, CFOs are expected to serve as translators across functions, helping investment professionals, operating teams, legal advisors and firm leadership understand how decisions in one area may affect outcomes elsewhere.

Leadership remains the constant

The fireside conversation with Landon Donovan gave the conference’s leadership themes a memorable closing note. Accountability, communication, trust and authenticity connected directly to the questions CFOs and COOs had been discussing throughout the program, from technology adoption and liquidity decisions to organizational change and team leadership.

Lessons from our conversation with Landon Donovan can be found here.

Final thoughts

The conversations at this year's Citizens Private Bank CFO Conference reflected a profession that continues to evolve. Technology, liquidity strategy, credit solutions, regulation, tax, operations and leadership are intersecting in ways that require broader perspective and closer coordination across the organization.

As private markets firms adapt to a changing environment, the CFO's role continues to expand beyond finance oversight and into strategic leadership. The discussions throughout the conference made clear that helping firms translate complexity into informed decisions remains one of the most important responsibilities finance leaders carry today. They also showed why convening the private markets community in a focused setting can create value that extends well beyond the agenda.